# Notepad vs Lock Your Notes

The clearest difference is rating: Lock Your Notes at 3.8 against Notepad's 2.7. Lock Your Notes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (66% vs 41%). Notepad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 28 months). On price, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lock Your Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Notepad asks for nothing beyond the download.

Lock Your Notes holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lock Your Notes has 708 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Notepad's written reviews are positive against 66% of Lock Your Notes's.

Notepad ships an update every 2 weeks, Lock Your Notes every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notepad | Lock Your Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.7 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad/id495125972/reviews) | **[3.8 (708 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lock-your-notes/id549119928/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **708** |
| Positive reviews | 40.7% of reviews | **66.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 28 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 26 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [YONGSEOK LEE](https://appshunter.io/developer/453718968) | [One Wave AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/472341468) |

## What reviewers say

### Notepad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad/id495125972)

Capture fleeting thoughts and precious memories with a focus on simple recording and easy retrieval. Features include instant note-taking, automatic saving, categorization, keyword search, and customizable themes and font sizes.

**Highlights:** Instant note-taking, Automatic saving, Categorization, Keyword search, Customizable themes, Adjustable font size

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Fantastic - sort order choices works great
- 👍 Simple and very comfortable!
- 👍 Easy to use for writing stories and notes
- 👍 Great for just simple notes or essays

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Updated app. NOW ALL MY NOTES ARE GONE!!!!
- 🐛 Cannot flip back and forth from a source to copy/paste without running into annoying ads
- 🐛 Why is there no longer a "scrolling signifier" on the side
- 🐛 The search feature option disappears when in use
- 🐛 Notepad Update gone bad

**Reported bugs**

- Updated app. NOW ALL MY NOTES ARE GONE!!!!
- Cannot flip back and forth from a source to copy/paste without running into annoying ads
- The search feature option disappears when in use
- The new update is causing crashes
- App not opening saved notes anymore

**Requested features**

- Add search feature for easier finding in notes
- Add pictures and videos, and let us resize them
- Add landscape mode
- Add undo button
- Add dark mode option


### Lock Your Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lock-your-notes/id549119928)

Securely store your private and secret notes with multiple locking options. Organize your thoughts with unlimited notes, customizable fonts, and emoji support. Keep your sensitive information safe from unauthorized access.

**Highlights:** Unlimited note creation, Three lock types (password, PIN, dot-lock), Customizable fonts, Emoji support, Organize with lists, Retina display support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Version | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 🔒 Secure notes
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 💡 Variety of lock options
- 👍 Reliable and works well

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues after iOS updates
- 🔍 Missing search/sort features
- 🗑️ Unable to delete notes
- 💻 Compatibility problems
- 🔑 Password recovery needed

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes after iOS 11 update
- Unable to enter passcode on some devices
- Notes disappearing or getting jumbled
- Keyboard issues when typing long notes

**Requested features**

- Cloud backup option
- Ability to delete notes
- Search and sort notes
- Font size and style options
- Fingerprint/biometric unlock


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notepad free?

Notepad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lock Your Notes free?

Lock Your Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notepad or Lock Your Notes?

Lock Your Notes is rated higher. Notepad averages 2.7 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Lock Your Notes averages 3.8 from 708 ratings.

### Do Notepad or Lock Your Notes have ads?

Notepad shows ads; Lock Your Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notepad or Lock Your Notes?

Notepad ships an update every 2 weeks, and Lock Your Notes every 28 months. Most recently, Notepad was updated on October 7, 2026 and Lock Your Notes on October 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*